DANGANRONPA KARMA - Edge of Hope, Chain of Despair
by 0chan
Summary: Zero Blaige, the Ultimate Swordsman, must lock blades against the whims of despair with eight other Ultimates by his side. For the killing game will begin again, and a wild card has allowed itself into the fray to make sure that nothing goes right for the side of hope. Can hope truly keep defeating despair, or will despair bring each and every one of them to the Ultimate Grave?


**DANGANRONPA KARMA** :  
Edge of Hope, Chain of Despair

 **Prologue – Sun and Moon, Light and Dark, Hope and Despair**

… It was another beautiful day of the spring season. Despite humanity's numerous and varied attempts at slowing down nature's inevitable progress, dandelions and grass fought their way through every single crack in the sidewalks and roads. Somehow, I found comfort in that – maybe if the plants could continue to fight on despite the odds, I could too. And I needed that kind of reassurance, because… I'd been invited to the most prestigious school in the country. Hope's Peak Academy, where only the best could hope to attend. Like everyone else who received an invitation, I am an **Ultimate** in accordance with my natural talents.

I finally stood in front of Hope's Peak Academy. All I could do was crane my neck back to take in the entire school, and I suddenly realized that my palms were sweaty and my knees were slightly shaking. Startled by my own reaction, I momentarily thought about running away and abandoning my chance to secure a guaranteed career for the future, but quickly drove the thoughts out of my mind. I tried to reach my inner Zen as I was once taught, put away my insecurities as I would my belongings and reminded myself that I belonged here, that I am an **Ultimate Student** just as the other attendees would be. Breathing deeply, I managed to work up a determined, hopeful grin before I pushed open the iron gates with both of my hands. I took one defiant step towards the Academy, towards my future, and then I… immediately dropped to the ground, my vision heavily blurring and swaying in a way that forced extreme vertigo symptoms out of nowhere. I felt nauseous to the point of passing out, and I did exactly that. The last thing I saw was a flashing red light gradually approaching my position.

Little did I know that letting my anxiety overrule my logical sense and abandoning the school would have been a far better idea than deciding to attend anyway. Because of my decision, I would soon be thrust into **a world of despair I had never known existed before that day**.

When I came to, I was lying in a household and bed that most definitely weren't mine. For one thing, my home and especially my personal room were minimalist, with a television and a table in the dining room and a mat and pillow in my bedroom being the only furniture in the entire building, aside from the kitchen's appliances. This place, on the other hand, was incredibly exorbitant, with wall-mounted televisions and surveillance cameras, expensive-looking wallpaper, plush carpet, and plenty of décor such as end tables and dressers. _But… what kind of bedroom doesn't have any windows…? How odd. Wait, before that, there's a camera in this room?!_ I stared up at the lens for a moment, feeling a chill in my gut while I thought about how someone might have watched me sleep all through the night. Brr…

I pulled myself out of the loving embrace of the soft mattress and stood rigid, narrowing my eyes at the door ahead of me, all signs of vertigo gone. My emotions were more of self-righteous fury than the determination I had previously had earlier while attempting to enter the school as I ripped open the way forward… and the sight in front of me stopped me completely in my anger-fueled tracks. A ton of other people, jam-packed in the larger building just outside my room, which seemed to contain the rooms of all the people who had come out just as I now did. It looked as if I was the last to arrive, and everyone else's stares drilling directly into my skull informed me that I was correct about that.

Grimacing at the attention I had brought onto myself as a result of my rushed entrance into an unknown situation, I cursed my foolish brain for ignoring the number one rule of my former sensei: **always stay calm, no matter the situation**. I had only made myself seem more suspicious than anyone else there, but I tried to rally by asking the question that was on everyone's minds.

" Do any of you know where we are or how we got here? I walked into Hope's Peak Academy and somehow fell unconscious, and then… the next thing I know, I woke up in this strange place. "

There was a general murmur of agreement and annoyance in the air, but nevertheless… no-one seemed able or willing to answer my question. Still, it was better than being immediately singled out, so I kept on the offensive by breaking the ice. I've never been… charismatic, exactly, but for some reason, I seemed to be the one keeping everyone's attention held despite my initial appearance.

" Let's start with introductions, since it seems like everyone is here...? " I let the question hang in the air for a moment, in case there were others who had yet to make their way to the lobby of the apartment complex. " My name is **Zero Blaige**. … Um, I am the **Ultimate Swordsman** , also known in some circles by my original title, the **Ultimate Slicer**. As the aliases imply, I am a master with cutting tools, though the sword eventually enamored me beyond any other conventional blade. I hope we can all get along. "

With my miniature speech out of the way, all I could do was awkwardly watch everyone else's reactions, and I saw as each and every pair of eyes spotted out the katana in its sheath resting on my hipline. Just when I thought nobody was going to answer me because of how dangerous I appeared to be, a starry-eyed blond boy in deep purple clothing with the widest smile I'd ever seen pushed his way to the front the small crowd mulling about… and strapped to his back was something that made me question how I'd ever thought _I_ might look scary, compared to the guy who reached out a friendly hand towards me.

" Aaand my name is **Blade Diaphoros**! Nice to meetcha, buddy. As for me, I'm the **Ultimate** … wait, can you maybe guess just based on the big-ass sniper rifle? Not the **Ultimate Sharpshooter** , as your first guess probably would be, I'm actually the **Ultimate Hunter**. I once brought down a pack of injured wolves and the bear chasing them, all in one shot, while they were all moving in different directions. Any bullet I put into my guns will find their marks, one hundred percent guaranteed. … Also, it's kinda ironic that my name is Blade and you're the one who uses blades, hah! "

Deciding that a hunter was much less terrifying than a sharpshooter or even an assassin, despite the 'one shot' story that I hoped was just a prideful exaggeration, I gave Blade the firmest handshake I could muster without breaking his surprisingly weak grip. Feeling a swell of hope that the introductions were starting off well enough even though there was no update on our current situation, I waited eagerly for the next person to reveal themselves. Meanwhile, the hunter moved to stand next to me. It seemed we were already on good terms with one another, somehow.

Next was a person of indiscernible gender who had raven-black hair, swathed in a large black cloak with clockwork symbols all over it. They swept some errant locks from their vision and nodded at me. When they spoke, the tone of their voice suggested a girl, though I couldn't be certain unless I asked. Maybe another time, since this one's serious demeanor was slightly more intimidating than the cheerful, easygoing Blade and I was not prepared to be knocked back into unconsciousness so soon after awakening.

" **Summer Taiyo** , **Ultimate Strategist**. The major armies of the world need me, so let's wrap this up and get out of here already. "

Cold-shouldered in the entirety of two sentences. Someone didn't wake up on the wrong side of the bed. Fortunately for the tactician, the ball was beginning to roll much more smoothly now that multiple people had opened up and people were even queuing up to be the first to reveal their interesting talents and stories.

" Yo, **Ultimate Thief** here. " I paid great attention to that title, as did everyone else, and the bearer of the voice had the sense to blush under our combined judgmental glares. When I actually took in the details of his appearance though, I realized that he looked very similar to me, almost to the point of twindom. Red hair, green eyes… only our clothes and the way we did our hair seemed different. Even our facial features, height and weight were remarkably similar. Nobody else appeared to notice, but the two of us exchanged confused glances at each other before he continued on nervously.

" Doesn't mean I'm gonna rob you all blind, but I am sort of a kleptomaniac, so… just in case, you'd better hold onto your things whenever I'm around. Sorry, it's a force of habit. Raised by thieves and all. … Oh yeah, the name's **Tekiya Ketsueki**. "

Despite the title and misgivings that came with it, the thief actually didn't seem too bad… though it could be an act, it would be a pretty good one, especially under such pressure from his peers. Normal thieves wouldn't warn someone of an impending theft, even if it was habitual and not entirely intentional.

" Ooh, ooh, me next! " A very short but nevertheless extremely excitable man, even more so than Blade had been, waved his hand in the air, launching into his prepared introduction without waiting for any form of permission. " **Ryo Hayakawa**! The **Ultimate Voice Actor** , at your service. " Then he proceeded to do an almost perfect impression of everyone who had spoken thus far, which helped lighten the mood considerably. I even cracked a smile when he used the strategist's haughty voice to lecture us. Summer just rolled their eyes, clearly annoyed by our immaturity at that point.

A man in a green jacket with his pure white hair sticking out messily in all directions refused to speak to any of us when prompted, and just slouched in the corner waiting for us to finish as he appeared to dissociate away from the situation at hand. I couldn't blame him for wanting this weird situation to disappear, but I also couldn't help feeling that he was being rude to us on purpose. And a swordsman's gut feeling is pretty reliable, for the most part. We decided not to badger him any further than we already had and just moved on.

The next one was… bizarre. An incredibly tall and muscular woman positioned herself in front of me and bowed, but when she stood at her full height her body obscured all sight, bulging biceps and triceps and quadriceps and any other possible ceps in existence were all I could see.

" **Oka Ookina**. I am the **Ultimate Pacifist**. Even if the Earth itself told me to harm another, I could not possibly do such a thing. Pleased to make your acquaintance. "

I blinked a few times, admittedly. A massive person like that, pledging to be non-violent? I supposed that just _appearing_ that fierce would probably scare off anybody who might want to test the limits of that pacifism, just in case she wasn't entirely dedicated to it. Oka bowed again, then returned to her place behind the others, so everyone else regained vision of the rest of the area.

Next up was an _incredibly_ attractive woman with hazel brown hair, who seemed to enjoy wearing just enough clothing to be considered not in the nude.

" Hello, everyone, I am **Francesca von Einzelfall** , the famous **Ultimate Actress** who has won many awards these past few years! There is no need to cheer, dearies. "

Nobody was cheering for the lady who had an incredibly thick German accent, but all the men and even the women were pretty much mesmerized enough anyway. Not including myself, of course, I'm too well disciplined. Haha. Ha... Still, I recognized her. It was evident that _everyone_ did, which was another reason for the stunned silence, aside from… well, anyway, she was well-known even in Japan and America for her talents. Only Oka seemed completely unimpressed, but there were no complaints lodged.

Another girl stepped forward, but this was another… bizarre one. Just checking out her dusty hand-me-down clothes and completely expressionless face confirmed that, but when she opened her mouth it was made even weirder by how perfectly monotonous the sound was. It was like the exact opposite of Ryo's talent for voicing. It was hard not to imagine her as a robot when she droned on.

" I am the **Ultimate Sculptor** , **Maburu Coelatura**. You may know that some of my works have already been donated to Hope's Peak, so if this is indeed that place, then we may see some of them. I have done one of Izuru Kamukura and one of Sakura Ogami, among others, for example. "

Oka shifted uneasily at the mention of 'Ogami', though I didn't know why. I decided to file the reaction away for later inspection.

All of the nine students had finished their introductions now, aside from… The odd white-haired boy began to chuckle to himself, seeming amused with something he'd thought of.

" Interesting line-up, " he said, spreading his arms wide with a somehow menacing smile. " I'm sorry I ignored you all earlier, but I just wanted to make sure that there wasn't anyone more worthless than me before I put myself out there. After all, the ones with actual talents should be going first, right? Hahaha. Anyway… "

There was a slight lull in his self-loathing monologue, and in that lull we all exchanged worried expressions. This guy was certainly… something. The rest of them now seemed relatively normal compared to this spiel.

" I'm **Nagito Komaeda**. My talent pales in comparison to all of yours, honestly. **Ultimate Lucky Student**. … Pretty pathetic, I know, but I guess I just have to live with being so useless. Oh well, to be a stepping stone for a real Ultimate is kind of a dream of mine, so if any of you need anything… "

He left it off as a suggestion, but at least it was an offer of allegiance despite how horribly Nagito spoke. It was as if a cloud of pure despair was streaming off of him. I had to wonder just what could damage someone enough to make them like that… I was so distracted, I _almost_ didn't notice his left hand. Almost. It was, very clearly, _not his hand_. Before this distressing thought fully settled in the pit of my stomach, an incredibly annoying voice came from above us, leading everyone's sight to a wall-mounted television on the other end of the lobby, above the door that was probably the exit from the apartment area.

A black-and-white bear plushy with an odd red left eye appeared on-screen, and what he was about to make us do would change our school lives forever…

" Hello, hello, Hope's Peak Academy! This is your **headmaster** speaking… I have an announcement to make, so please come to the gym at your earliest possible convenience. "


End file.
